Bringing these services into a single facility positions the Ashburton Art Gallery and Heritage Centre as a hub of knowledge and learning for the district and expands the quality of services provided to the community.

As well as its investment in the new Art Gallery and Heritage Centre, Council's main mechanism for supporting arts, culture and heritage is through its annual grant funding of community and heritage projects and school holiday programmes.

Council provides annual grant funding to Ashburton Trust Event Centre, one the South Island's most exciting venues that has the scope to hold a wide variety of events. Council's grant funding for the events centre covers the majority of its net operating expenditure.

Council is also a sponsor of Ashburton's annual Multi Cultural Bite event and administers the Creative Communities New Zealand Ashburton Scheme. This is a funding grant on behalf of the Arts Council of New Zealand for projects with an arts or cultural focus that benefit our local community.

We invite you to discover the many different facets that make up Ashburton District's unique arts, culture and heritage.